Firenze 1921

Willem Adrianus Grondhout made this print of Florence using etching. It’s all in these warm, earthy browns, which feels like looking at something really old. You know, etching always feels a bit like that: you’re dealing with this metal plate, acid, and ink – it’s hands-on and really physical. I love how the surface has this texture, like the artist was really pressing into it. The lines are so delicate, but they build up into these strong shapes. Look at the way the water is rendered with all these tiny scratches, like someone scribbling in their notebook. It is almost a shimmer. And then you see the bridge, this solid, heavy form made from the same little lines. There is something about the mood of this piece that reminds me of Whistler. It’s like these artists are having a conversation across time, about how to capture the feeling of a place. Ultimately, art is a way of seeing, not just a thing to be seen.